Demolition of the chimney stack at the Stockton Stone and Concrete Company.
Photograph and details courtesy of John Wilson.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Demolition of the chimney stack at the Stockton Stone and Concrete Company.
Photograph and details courtesy of John Wilson.
I guess this chimney pre-dates the Stockton Stone and Concrete Company’s use of this site, and it is related the site’s previous use as an ironworks?
I never mind answering when asked as long as I had personal experience, just hate people who guess not knowing the true answer. Whitwells was closed down around 1928 one of the first iron works in Thornaby and on roughly the site of Thornaby iron works.
You turned onto Bridge Street left as you came to the Thornaby end of the Victoria Bridge. Station Street was at the end of Bridge Street left onto Trafalgar Street a long road turning right onto Hanover Street and follow it down to Long Row which led onto a track which took you to Whitwells. In that area were the Bonlea Foundry, Union Foundry, Thornaby Iron Works and at the end of Trafalgar Street South Stockton Shipyard and Thornaby Shipbuilding Yard. Head Wrightsons took over most of the land and some of the buildings.
Whitwells was derelict from my memory and Dad was leading rubble from there which is how he knew the chimney was to be blown, it was a Saturday morning and for a short moment looked as if it was going to fall on us, as you can see it did not. A water tower stood for years on the open area that was cleared you could see it from the station and the Wilderness road quite clearly. I am having second thoughts, Thornaby Iron Works could well have been what we knew as whitwells.
Head Wrightsons used Whitwells offices for their maintenance drawing office. It was my 1st job as the junior joiner apprentice to supply the sticks to light the fires each morning. Other offices HW’s used were the old offices of Craig Taylors which the Foundry used and Richardson Ducks which in my time was the Pat Office, that was before the building extension of the Main Office in Trafalgar Street.
Its a good job the chimney fell in the intended direction – those spectators look very close.
No “elf and safety” then David and it would have been balanced on props before they either set fire to the props or blew them out with explosive. My Father took me pre war as a wee lad to see Whitwells Iron works chimney come down, we were behind it having been told which way it would go. A loud bang and the top wobbled, Dad picked me up and ran, luckily it decided to go the right way after all. Dad’s truck took a lot of that rubble to Norton as hard core under the Kendrew Houses just off the Green. Times they do change.
Mr Mee, a question if you don’t mind. Where was Whitwells Iron works? I have seen old pictures but am unsure as to its exact location and what is now on its former site